This invention relates to an acid drain opening system, in general, and, more particularly, to a system for administering acid to a clogged drain and the method of use of the system.
During normal use, drains tend to become clogged with various materials that are rinsed down the drain, such as oils, hair, toilet paper, talcum powder and petroleum jelly. The materials that clog the drain settle in the trap, and until they are removed or broken up, water will not pass through the drain.
Various devices and chemical compositions have been developed for clearing the drain. Some of these are mechanical in nature, such as a plunger, which consists of a rigid suction cup on a stick, or a plumber's snake or drain auger, which is a mechanical device rotated in the trap, in an attempt to break up the clog.
In recent years, pressurized cans have been developed, which break up the clogs through the use of released gas pressure. Devices of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,823,427 (Pittet) and 4,034,427 (Breznock et al.).
Various alkali chemical cleaners are also used for clearing clogged drains. These chemical cleaners are available in both liquid and granular form. The liquid chemical cleaners can be poured through standing water in a sink, whereas the standing water should be drained before using the granular cleaners. The chemical cleaners cause a chemical reaction at the clog and many of them create substantial heat. The net result is that the clog is loosened sufficiently to permit it to be removed by cold running water, after the reaction has been completed.
If none of the foregoing devices and compositions work to remove the clog, a homeowner will normally call a plumber. One of the most common methods used by a plumber, and possibly by homeowners, to remove a clog, when all else has failed, is to pour concentrated sulfuric acid into the drain. If water remains in the drain, the acid, which has a higher specific gravity than water, will settle through the water, until it reaches the clog. At that point, the acid will react with the clog, and eat away at the clog, until the clog is destroyed. The drain can then be flushed with cold water.
One of the problems with using the acid is that it is extremely dangerous. A substantial amount of heat is created by the reaction of the acid with the material forming the clog, and on many occasions, this will cause the acid to blow back out of the drain and onto the person who administered the acid. Needless to say, serious injury to the skin or eyes can result from the use of sulfuric acid to clear a clog, even though sulfuric acid has been found to be extremely effective in breaking up the clog.
The device and method of this invention provide a safe and effective means of injecting sulfuric acid into a clog, while minimizing the danger to the person administering the acid.
The device of this invention includes a sealed bottle of sulfuric acid, with a means for piercing the seal, without the user of the acid having his skin come in contact with the acid. After the seal is pierced, the acid flows through a tube, which has an open end within the clog. Devices for removing liquid from a sealed container, and administering the liquid through a tube, are well known to the art. Generally, devices of this type have been used for removing oil from a sealed can, and pouring the oil, through a tube, into an engine. An example of such an oil-pouring device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,125 (Maynard, Jr.).
The device of this invention is specifically different from that shown in Maynard. The device is secured to the acid bottle, and this prevents the inadvertent removal of the bottle from the pouring device. In Maynard, there is merely a piercing spout which pierces the top of a metal can. Additionally, the tube on this device is relatively rigid, so that it can be inserted down the drain and into the clog. In the Maynard device, the tube is flexible, and has a bellows construction. Although that construction is effective for pouring oil into a crankcase, it would not be effective for insertion into and through a clog. To the contrary, when the clog is contacted, the bellows would merely collapse.
Another advantage of the device of this invention over that of Maynard is that the acid leaving the bottle can only pass through the tube, and cannot come in contact with the person administering the acid. By way of contrast, in Maynard, after the oil can is pierced, the oil enters a funnel, and passes through a screen, before entering the spout. If the Maynard device were used for acid, if there were any blowback through the tube, it could blow the can away from the funnel, thereby blowing acid on the person administering the acid.
Since the device of this invention requires the draining of acid from a bottle that is closed, except for the top opening, in order to prevent creating a vacuum within the bottle as the acid is withdrawn, air holes are provided in the device to periodically admit air into the acid bottle. This prevents the creation of a vacuum, which could prevent or severely hinder the pouring of the acid. Vent holes of this type are known in the prior art, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,435,033 (Campbell) and 2,714,977 (Davis). However, neither of the devices shown in these prior patents is used for pouring acid into a clog. In the former patent, the vent holes are used in connection with transferring various non-corrosive liquids, and in the latter patent, they are used in connection with dispensing oil into a crankcase.